HIV and Aging
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HIV and Aging

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) “Older people in the United States are more likely than younger people to have AIDS at the time of diagnosis, which means they start treatment late and may suffer more immune-system damage” (CDC, 2018). This can lead to poorer prognosis and shorter life expectancy. Older adults, too, may not be as knowledgeable or informed about HIV risk factors as younger people may be, and for a number of reasons. One such reason is physicians and healthcare professionals generally don’t ask older adults about their sexual or drug behaviors as much as they do with younger people. And, although older adults go to their physician more often than younger people, they don’t disclose private information as much as younger people do. So, much of the vital information about HIV and AIDS gets lost in translation.

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Aging with HIV

Sadly, people diagnosed prior to the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART), one’s life expectancy after diagnosis was only 1 to 2 years at best. How many wonderful people have been lost during this time? With such a short life expectancy, no one was focused on growing old with HIV. It simply was not heard of at the time. Thank goodness for modern medicine and the improvements in antiretroviral therapy. Because of this, and a few other variables, there is a growing number of people in the United States 55 and above living with HIV. Many of them have had it for years. Some have recently been diagnosed.

Aging and Health Complications

It is truly miraculous that people are living so long with HIV. There are also some drawbacks associated with it. While these people are living longer, they are still aging and developing age-related diseases and disorders that can complicate their clinical picture. Some older adults will develop multiple chronic illnesses. Others may be on several prescription medications and dealing with associated side effects. Others will experience a decline in cognitive abilities due to stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

HIV-Related Complications

The older adult living with HIV will experience age-related, chronic conditions, just as people do who do not have HIV or AIDS. Add in the complications that are directly associated with HIV and AIDS and now we have a different set of variables as the older adult continues to age. Older adults with HIV may develop cardiovascular problems, lung disease, and certain types of cancer. An HIV-specific dementia, HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) may develop over time. The older adult might also develop liver diseases such as hepatitis B and C.

Other conditions that can develop over the course of time include diseases of chronic inflammation, which is associated with a number of health problems. Among these are cardiovascular disease, lymphoma and type 2 diabetes. Over time, HIV can also have a profound impact on the brain. Around 50% of people with HIV have HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder. This develops deficits in a variety of cognitive functions including attention, motor skills, language, and memory. It can take a toll on the individual’s quality of life and lead to psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety and sleep problems.

Final Statements on HIV and Aging

The 1980s were a great decade for music, movies and education, but not so good when it came to the new disease that shook our nation. We have come so far in understanding the disease and treating it to the point where people are now growing old with HIV in their lives. While this is a good thing, there are some complications involved, namely that the human body is still aging with HIV. The combination of age-related diseases and HIV-related problems creates a new population of individuals to provide care and services to as effectively as we can.

(NOTE: Interested in Nursing CEUs? Checkout my Nursing CEUs on CEU Academy and try a FREE CEU today!)

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